Tom Gimbel, Founder and CEO
When you repeatedly get named a best place to work — and this is LaSalle’s fifth time on our list — you attract some people for the wrong reasons.
Many focus on the perks, but that’s not what makes LaSalle the best. It’s more than any trip, any incentive or any party, Gimbel says. Those are just icing on the cake. What matters is making people feel open to working hard and having friendly competition. Having management that is accessible, communicative and works side by side with staff.
“So if you make a bad hiring decision, don’t be afraid to fix it,” Gimbel says. And that in itself is meaningful to existing staff. “Our staff wants us to part ways with the bad people, the bad attitudes, bad work ethics.” What does it take to become and stay a LaSallian? It helps to share the same work ethic and sense of humor.
Laughter is very important at LaSalle, with Gimbel striving to end every meeting with it. “When you have people who laugh at the same things and work at the same pace, you’ve really got something unique, and that’s what we build on.”
Just as cutting the cord to a bad hire is important, so is holding on to the good ones. For example, the company is expanding to San Francisco because an employee’s spouse was relocated there, and LaSalle didn’t want to let her go. “We really try to do things that are people-centric,” Gimbel says.
